C.J. Anderson rushed for three touchdowns in the Broncos’ Week 17 victory over the Raiders. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)

UPDATE: Juwan Thompson will not be available to play Sunday. Jeremy Stewart will be the third running back for the Broncos.

For the first time since C.J. Anderson’s breakout performance in Game 9 at Oakland, the Broncos will have their full complement of running backs for their divisional playoff Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts.

Anderson, Ronnie Hillman and Juwan Thompson will all dress to give the Broncos a one-two-three running punch against the Colts. Expect the No. 1 back, Anderson, to get the bulk of the carries.

Hillman suffered a Lisfranc foot sprain during that Nov. 9 game against Oakland and didn’t return until the season finale against the Raiders, on Dec. 28 at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Thompson played every game this season until the final against the Raiders, when he rested his sore hip and knee.

Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall will return from a foot injury to face the Colts on Sunday. (Joe Amon, The Denver Post)

Brandon Marshall spoke with confidence Friday, unable to hide his smile. He feels ready to play, even if his sprained left foot is not 100 percent. Had Sunday been a regular-season game, Marshall might not be available. But after progressing slowly during the week, Marshall is expected to be active for divisional playoff against the Colts.

The question remains: How effective can he be? Marshall, who missed the final two regular-season games after getting hurt on a tackle against the Chargers, told the Post that he expects to play either base or nickel, but likely not both. The Broncos need to keep him on a play count, and monitor him closely. Marshall sprinted for the first time on Friday. Even he doesn’t know how his foot will respond in coverage, when he must move laterally and make quick, decisive cuts.

Marshall is a tackling machine and excels in coverage. But, again, he must be watched. Linebackers Todd Davis and Steven Johnson figure to see plenty of snaps regardless of Marshall’s health.

The Broncos should be able to beat the Colts with a limited Marshall. It’s hard to see Denver beating the Patriots in New England — if Denver wins Sunday — without Marshall. Getting him back in the lineup is a start. Keeping him healthy in limited duty is equally important.

Quanterus Smith, the backup defensive end to DeMarcus Ware, is finished for the season after he re-injured his left knee.

The Broncos placed Smith on season-ending injured reserve and replaced him on the roster by promoting former Colorado State linebacker Shaquil Barrett from the practice squad.

Smith had 12.5 sacks in his senior season at Western Kentucky when he suffered a torn ACL in his left knee. A fifth-round selection by the Broncos in the 2013 draft, Smith played the preseason but was placed on IR before the season began.

He played in 15 games for the Broncos this season but is still looking for his first career sack.

Barrett, an undrafted rookie, was on the practice squad for 15 of 16 games this season. The one time he was on the 53-man roster, he was not activated for the game against San Francisco.

Julius Thomas runs in the second touchdown of the game against the Colts in Week 1. (Seth McConnell, The Denver Post)

Julius Thomas is sick of explaining himself. The Broncos’ tight end, who started the season on a tear, hasn’t looked like himself since injuring his ankle about two months ago.

“Somebody who doesn’t know me very well, or doesn’t know what I do in my rehab, might say: ‘Oh, you played basketball. You’re not very good about fighting through injury,'” Thomas told the Post’s Mark Kiszla. “That’s their opinion. People can feel however they want about me. But I know.”

The Colts know, too. After all, they saw him catch seven passes for 104 yards with three touchdowns in Denver’s Week 1 victory over Indianapolis.Read more…

David Bruton sustained a concussion and neck strain after a hit during Week 17’s win over the Raiders. (Joe Amon, The Denver Post)

Left guard Orlando Franklin and safety David Bruton cleared the NFL-mandated concussion protocol and returned to practice for the Broncos on Wednesday as they prepare for their AFC divisional playoff game.

Both players were injured in the Week 17 victory over the Raiders. Bruton started in place injured safety T.J. Ward (neck strain), but left with one himself after a blind hit by Oakland’s Denico Autry. Bruton was wheeled off the field on a stretcher and immediately taken to a hospital, as the Broncos feared a diagnosis much more than a neck strain and concussion.

The Broncos practiced in full pads Wednesday — a first in a while for them — and outside in 19-degree whether to prepare for an expected cold matchup against the Colts at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on Sunday.

The Broncos’ defense run back an interception during a Dec. 24, 1977 divisional playoff victory over the Steelers. (Ernie Leyba, The Denver Post)

The Broncos’ third-best defense in the NFL will have to move aside Sunday. Just for a while.

Several members of the Broncos’ legendary 1977 Orange Crush defense will be honored during halftime of Sunday’s AFC divisional playoff game against the Colts at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, the team announced Wednesday.

A tribute will acknowledge the players and coaches in attendance and recap the famed ’77 season, when the Broncos, led by its defense, reached its first postseason and Super Bowl berth.

Stan Kroenke — the owner of the St. Louis Rams, as well as the Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche and Colorado Rapids — announced on Monday plans for an 80,000-seat complex in nearby Inglewood, Calif., setting up a potential battle with fellow Colorado billionaire Philip Anschutz over bringing an NFL team in Los Angeles.

As the Denver Broncos prepare to host the Indianapolis Colts in an AFC divisional playoff game on Sunday, the two biggest players have been, and will continue to be, dissected in every way imaginable. Sunday’s game isPeyton Manning vs. Andrew Luck, the veteran vs. the youngster, the former Colt vs. his replacement.

Broncos GM John Elway was profiled in the latest issue of Sports Illustrated. (AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post)

But it’s also about John Elway, how’s he gone from being an on-field decision-maker to a front-office decision-maker, how he turned a 4-12 team into a Super Bowl contender, how he responded to a 43-8 thrashing in the big game with a slew of defensive acquisitions.

He’s the star behind the scenes, and he’s built a team that is made for winning now. As Elway looks to do just that with another run at the Lombardi Trophy, Sports Illustrated‘s S.L. Price profiled the Broncos’ general manager, revealing what makes him tick. After all, going from Hall of Fame of player to one of the game’s best executives is no easy feat. Just ask Michael Jordan.

Price’s feature reveals some telling details about Elway’s childhood and what shaped him, on the field and off. Like, for instance, his seemingly innate intolerance for losing: Read more…

During a recent Philadelphia reprise run, Bill Musgrave, the Philadelphia Eagles’ quarterbacks coach, attended a performance and introduced himself to Boryla. That was especially notable here because Musgrave, from Grand Junction and eventually a Broncos backup quarterback in 1995-96, was a Denver Post Gold Helmet winner in 1985.

Saturday will be the first Colorado performance of Boryla’s play, which deals with life and football, especially life in the NFL. Concussions, which forced Boryla out of the game, are a key issue.

The cost of seeing the Broncos and Colts face off Sunday at Sports Authority Field at Mile High isn’t cheap. (Steve Nehf, The Denver Post)

Hoping to attend the Broncos’ divisional playoff game against the Colts on Sunday? It’ll cost you a pretty penny.

According to TiqIQ, the NFL playoff ticket prices on the second-hand market for the game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High is $348.27, and it will cost $121 to get in the gate with no seat. The matchup is the cheapest playoff game of the Peyton Manning era in Denver. The cheapest roundtrip flight from Indianapolis to Denver, according to Priceline.com, is $354. And hotel prices range from $80-$259 a night for three-star hotels.

Which means, a trip to Denver from Indy to see Andrew Luck and Peyton Manning face off from your own seat while staying at a three-star hotel for the night could cost anywhere from $782.27-$961.27. And that’s not including beer and food and all the football game necessities.

But perhaps fans should be grateful. The cost of seeing the Panthers in Seattle or the Cowboys in Green Bay is even higher. Here’s the breakdown for the other three games:

On third-and-1 with 8:25 left in the fourth, Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford throws to tight end Brandon Pettigrew, who is covered by Cowboys linebacker Anthony Hitchens. Hitchens, whose back was turned during the throw, was called for defensive pass interference — an obviously correct call. But then the refs picked up the flag and overturned the call. Then the Lions punt. Then the Cowboys score. Then Dallas goes on to win, 24-20, and earn a meeting with the Packers next.

What’s up: This might be the best matchup among the NFL’s four first-round playoff games. That Suh gets to play is notable; the league initially suspended him from the playoff game after he stomped on the injured leg of Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers last week at Lambeau Field. Suh essentially won his appeal; he was fined $70,000 in lieu of a suspension.

Flacco, the new Eli Manning, continues to play his best when it matters most. A pedestrian quarterback during the regular season, he delivered a performance that conjured memories of his magical 2012 Super Bowl lap. Flacco finihsed 18-for-29 for 259 yards and two scores. He had just five completions for 74 yards at halftime before connecting on scores to Torrey Smith and former CSU star Crockett Gillmore, helping the Ravens advance to face the top-seeded New England Patriots.

“You have to play these games to win. You can’t play these games not to lose,” Flacco said. “It’s about playing aggressive football, not having a conscience.”

The Ravens’ Crockett Gillmore celebrates a fourth quarter touchdown with teammate James Hurst against the Pittsburgh Steelers during their AFC Wild Card game at Heinz Field on Jan. 3, 2015 in Pittsburgh. (Jamie Squire, Getty Images)

Terrell Suggs shoved Flacco into position to seal coach John Harbaugh’s seventh playoff road win, matching the NFL record. With the Ravens leading 23-15, Pittsburgh running back Ben Tate, signed earlier in the week, missed a block on the blitz, leaving quarterback Ben Roethlisberger eluding the rush. Roethlisberger escaped and tried to flip a desperate pass to Tate. Tate missed it. Pass protection and catching the ball out of the backfield are strengths of the injured Le’Veon Bell, the play explaining why he was sorely missed.

After Tate couldn’t corral the pass, it landed in linebacker Suggs’ belly. He fell to the ground and pinched the football between his knees, somehow preventing it from touching the soggy Heinz Field turf.

If the Steelers win on Saturday night, they will play on the road against the Broncos on Jan. 11. (Denver Post file)

PITTSBURGH — The Steelers refuse excuses. Coach Mike Tomlin admitted that worrying about injuries and outside criticism is a hobby reserved for the “mentally weak.”

So Pittsburgh entered Saturday’s wild-card playoff game with unflinching resolve, poised to overcome the loss of star running back Le’Veon Bell. The former Michigan State star ranked first in the AFC in rushing and yards from scrimmage, running LeGarrette Blount out of town because of limited playing time.

Josh Harris, an undrafted free agent, started vs. the Baltimore Ravens. Dri Archer, who recorded the fastest 40-yard dash at last year’s NFL combine with a time of 4.26 seconds, served as his backup. The Steelers also added depth by signing veteran Ben Tate early last week.Cincinnati Bengals safety Reggie Nelson struck Bell in the season finale, hyperextending his right knee. Tomlin ruled Bell out Friday night, believing he couldn’t protect himself from additional injury.

Del Rio, 51, was head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2003 until late in the 2011 season. He has been the Broncos’ defensive coordinator the past three seasons. Denver’s D ranks third in total defense this season.

Mike Klis has been with The Denver Post since 1998, after working 13 years with the Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph. Major League Baseball was Klis' initial passion. He started covering the Colorado Rockies after Coors Field was approved for construction in August 1990.

Nicki Jhabvala is the Sports Digital News Editor for The Denver Post. Before arriving in Denver, she spent five years at Sports Illustrated working primarily as its online NBA editor, and she was most recently the overnight home page editor at the New York Times. She has reported regularly on the Broncos since joining the staff.

A published author and award-winning journalist, Benjamin Hochman is a sports columnist for The Denver Post. He previously worked on the staff of the New Orleans Times-Picayune, winners of two Pulitzer Prizes for their Hurricane Katrina coverage.